#1. This week's number one is an international point guard Petteri Koponen (194-88, currently plays in VTB United League), who plays in Russia. He could not help Khimky (7-2) in their last game. Despite Koponen's good performance the first-placed Khimky lost 67-76 on the road to the lower-ranked (#4) Krasnie Krilya in the group A of VTB United League.
He scored 13 points in 21 minutes on the court.
It was Khimky's first loss after four consecutive victories.
This year Koponen averages: 5.4ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.3apg, 2FGP: 38.9%, 3FGP: 43.8% in the seven games he played so far.
He is currently a member of the Finnish senior national team.

#2. Second place goes to an international point guard Teemu Rannikko (189-80, currently plays in Adriatic League). Rannikko was the major contributor in a triple overtime (!!!) Un.Olimpija's victory against the closely-ranked Buducnost (7-6) 95-92 in the Adriatic League last Monday.
He recorded 17 points.
Union Olimpija Ljubljana (7-6) is placed sixth in the Adriatic League.
It was his team's third consecutive victory in a row.
Rannikko's overall stats this season are: 5.8ppg, 1.3rpg, 3.3apg, 1.2spg, 2FGP: 71.4%, 3FGP: 30.3% and FT: 88.2%.
He is in the roster of the Finnish senior national team.

#3. The Finnish player who performed third best last week abroad was an international guard Sasu Salin (192-91, currently plays in Adriatic League) is a teammate of previously mentioned Teemu Rannikko and both played together in the last Adriatic League game.
Salin led his Slovenian team Un.Olimpija to a triple overtime (!!!) victory against the closely-ranked Buducnost (7-6) 95-92.
He recorded 14 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 50 minutes.
Salin is ranked second on the list of the most steals in the league with 2.0spg.
This year his other stats are: 7.0ppg, 3.0rpg, 2FGP: 48.1%, 3FGP: 30.8% and FT: 71.4% in the 12 games.
Salin is also a member of the Finnish senior national team.

#4. Center Gerald Lee (208-87, college: ODU, currently plays in Eurocup) led his Montenegrin team Buducnost to a victory over the closely-ranked Lukoil Academik 74-55 in the Eurocup in Wednesday night's game.
He was MVP of the game. Lee scored 18 points; quite an impressive performance considering it's only his third season in pro basketball. KK Buducnost Voli Podgoricais placed second in group I.
It's Lee's first year with the team.
Lee has relatively good stats this season: 11.2ppg and 4.5rpg.
He is a naturalized American.
Lee is also Finnish national team player.
Strangely he has never played in Finland.

#5. International forward Ville Kaunisto (205-82, currently plays in France) was the main contributor in Blois' victory against the closely-ranked Souffelweyersheim (9-4) 79-73 in the French NM1 (third division) last Saturday.
Kaunisto was the best player in that game. He had a double-double by scoring 24 points and getting 10 rebounds. Kaunisto also added 3 assists in 40 minutes.
ADA Blois Basket (8-4) is placed sixth in the NM1.
Kaunisto is the league's top scorer and also on the list of best rebounders (first place).
He has individually a very good year with high stats. Kaunisto averages: 18.9ppg, 11.7rpg and 1.8apg in the 12 games.
He plays currently for the Finnish national team.

#6. Guard Roope Ahonen (186-90, agency: FCM, currently plays in Sweden) contributed to a Solna Vikings' victory against the closely-ranked 08 Stockholm (9-7) 93-79 in the Swedish Basketligan on Tuesday night.
Ahonen recorded 14 points and added 7 passes.
Solna Vikings (10-7) is placed fifth in the Basketligan.
It was his team's third consecutive victory in a row.
It's Ahonen's first season with the team.
This year he has relatively solid stats: 10.9ppg, 2.0rpg and 3.9apg.
Ahonen is an international player who is currently on the senior Finnish National Team roster.

#7. U16 international power forward Emir Sulejmanovic (204-95, currently plays in Euroleague) is a teammate of previously mentioned Teemu Rannikko. But that was another game of his team in Euroleague which we would like to mention.
Sulejmanovic was not able to help Un.Olimpija in their game against Real Madrid (0-0). He cannot count it as his best performance.
Sulejmanovic recorded only 2 points in 6 minutes on the court. It was his first game for Un.Olimpija this season.
Un.Olimpija (#5) was crushed 91-60 in Madrid by the higher-ranked (#3) Real in the group _ of Euroleague.
Sulejmanovic used to play for the Finnish U16 national team
last year.

#8. Forward Lauri Toivonen (201-91, currently plays college basketball in the States) helped UTPA win their game against the Lamar University 75-70 in the NCAA on Saturday night.
He recorded 11 points in 25 minutes.
The University of Texas-Pan American has conference record this season.
This year Toivonen averages only 5.0ppg in the two games.
He used to play for the Finnish university national team
last year.

One more player who has never been selected to any of national teams, but has Finnish passport:

#1.Kristjan Rinaldo (195-G/F-91, currently plays in Baltic League) contributed to an easy victory against the third-ranked Naglis Palangos (5-5) crushing them 75-52 in the Baltic League last Saturday.
He scored 8 points.
TTU Korvpalliklubi Tallinn (2-8) is placed fifth in group A.
It was his team's first victory after eight consecutive loses.
The Regular Season already ended in the Baltic League.
This season Rinaldo averages only 5.0ppg.

American Forward Demondre Harvey (201-F-93) had a very impressive game in the last round for Oulun NMKY, receiving a Eurobasket.com 1st Division Player of the Week award for round 10. The 23-year old player had a double-double of 26 points and 19 rebounds, while his team beat Lahti (#2, 8-4) 85-74. Oulun NMKY maintains the 4th position in their group in Finnish 1st Division. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Oulun NMKY will need more vic... [read more]

American Forward Demondre Harvey (201-F-93) had a very impressive game in the last round for Oulun NMKY, receiving a Eurobasket.com 1st Division Player of the Week award for round 10.The 23-year old player had a double-double of 26 points and 19 rebounds, while his team beat Lahti (#2, 8-4) 85-74. Oulun NMKY maintains the 4th position in their group in Finnish 1st Division. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Oulun NMKY will need more victories to improve their 7-5 record. In the team's last game Harvey had a remarkable 66.7% from 2-point range. He turned to be Oulun NMKY's top player in his first season with the team. Former University of Louisiana at Monroe star has very solid stats this year. Harvey is in league's top in rebounds (4th best: 12.3rpg) and averages impressive 1.3bpg and 51.6% FGP.

The second best player in last round's games was young Tommi Rasi (184-G-98) of Raholan Pyrkiva. Rasi had a very good evening with 33 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. It was enough for Raholan Pyrkiva to edge the higher-ranked PuHu Juniorit (#1, 10-1) 93-90. Raholan Pyrkiva's 5th position in Division B has not changed. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 7-4 record is not bad and everything may still change. Rasi is well-known at Raholan Pyrkiva and is a proven leader in his second season with the team. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 24.0ppg (#7). He also registered 6.5 boards per game.

Third on the list of top players last round was American Brian Moultrie (198-C/F-87) of league's top team PuHu Juniorit. Moultrie scored 28 points and grabbed nineteen rebounds (!!!). He was a key player of PuHu Juniorit, leading his team to a 87-74 easy win against the lower-ranked JyWe (#11, 3-8). Many experts and fans count PuHu Juniorit as a contender for championship title. Another victory and another confirmation that they may be right. Just look at their record: 10 victories and only one lost game. They are currently at the very top of the standings in Division B. Moultrie has a great season in Finland. After 11 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 29.6ppg (2nd best) and rebounds with 17.2rpg (#1 in league). He also has 2.5spg, 1.9bpg and FGP: 65.3%.

The Player of the week is chosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3* (REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4* (2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3* (2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3* (3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

1st Division Round 10: ToPo keeps a leadership position in their group - 3 days ago

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There was no lack of excitement in the last round games. The round ended with defeat of the leader, favorites losing the games and games ending by tiny margin. The game had a very big importance for second-ranked ToPo as it allowed them to take a leadership position in Division. ToPo defeated 5th ranked Forssan Koripojat in Helsinki 86-76. The game was mostly controlled by ToPo. Forssan Koripojat managed to win third quarter 21-19. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory t... [read more]

There was no lack of excitement in the last round games. The round ended with defeat of the leader, favorites losing the games and games ending by tiny margin.

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked ToPo as it allowed them to take a leadership position in Division. ToPo defeated 5th ranked Forssan Koripojat in Helsinki 86-76. The game was mostly controlled by ToPo. Forssan Koripojat managed to win third quarter 21-19. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. ToPo forced 20 Forssan Koripojat turnovers. Forward Cedric Latimer (198-87, college: St.Francis, PA) had a double-double by scoring 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and swingman Juuso Kauppinen (188-94) chipped in 16 points and 5 assists during the contest. At the losing side American forward Bruce Reed (202-90, college: Pikeville) responded with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 10 rebounds. As mentioned above they are alone now at the top position. Forssan Koripojat at the other side keeps the fifth place with six games lost. Forssan Koripojat will play next round against Jyvaskyla BA trying to get back on the winning streak. ToPo will try to continue on its current victory against third ranked Espoo United on the road. Undefeated PuHu Juniorit (10-1) recorded its first loss in Tampere. Visitors were edged by fifth ranked Raholan Pyrkiva (7-4) 93-90. Guard Tommi Rasi (184-98) notched 33 points (!!!) and 8 rebounds to lead the effort and Angel Mavrodiev supported him with 20 points and 4 assists. Even 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals by American power forward Brian Moultrie (198-87, college: Armstr.Atlantic) did not help to save the game for PuHu Juniorit. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Raholan Pyrkiva maintains fifth position in Division with 7-4 record. PuHu Juniorit at the other side still keeps top place with one game lost. Raholan Pyrkiva will play against higher ranked Korikouvot (#4) in Kouvola in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. PuHu Juniorit will play on the road against Ura Basket in Kaarina and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Very important is a road loss of second ranked Lahti (8-4) against fourth ranked Oulun NMKY (7-5) on Sunday night. Visiting Lahti was defeated by Oulun NMKY in Oulun 85-74. Americans were the main players on the court. Demondre Harvey fired a double-double by scoring 26 points and 19 rebounds for the winners. Rashad Smith produced 24 points and 5 rebounds for lost side. Oulun NMKY maintains fourth position in Division with 7-5 record. Loser Lahti keeps the second place with four games lost. Oulun NMKY will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Lahti will play against Porvoon Tarmo and hope to secure a win. The game between Top Four teams took place in Turun. Third ranked host TuNMKY (8-2) defeated their biggest opponent Ura Basket (8-3) 91-86. It was a key game for the second position in Division. Worth to mention a great performance of Mikael Sandberg who helped to win the game recording 31 points and 8 rebounds (made all of his eight free throws). Ura Basket's coach tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. TuNMKY moved-up to second place in Division. Ura Basket at the other side dropped to the third position with three games lost. TuNMKY's next round opponent will be Munkkiniemen (#10) in Helsinki and are hoping to win another game. Ura Basket will play at home against the league's leader PuHu Juniorit (#1) and it may be a tough game between close rivals. 1st Division top team - PuHu Juniorit (10-1) managed to deliver another win on Friday. This time they beat tenth ranked JyWe (3-8) in Jyvaskyla 87-74. Brian Moultrie had a double-double by scoring 28 points and 19 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners. PuHu Juniorit's coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. PuHu Juniorit maintains first position in Division with 10-1 record. Newly promoted JyWe dropped to the eleventh place with eight games lost. PuHu Juniorit will face Ura Basket (#3) in Kaarina in the next round, which may be the game of the day. JyWe will play at home against PeU-Basket (#12) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 10: In Division Pyrinto II was destroyed by Espoo United on the opponent's court 97-61. Porvoon Tarmo managed to outperform Jarvenpaa in a home game 89-83. HBA-Marsky recorded a loss to Jyvaskyla BA on the road 83-79. Korikouvot crushed JyWe on its own court 97-71. Karkkila beat PeU-Basket in a road game 91-89. Espoo Basket won against HNMKY U23 at home 72-66. Munkkiniemen outscored Namika Lr on the opponent's court 73-44. PeU-Basket recorded a loss to HNMKY U23 in a home game 72-79. Korikouvot was defeated by Karkkila on the road 102-97. Raholan Pyrkiva was beaten by TuNMKY on its own court 69-85. The most impressive stats of the last round was 25 points and 6 rebounds by Juuso Maenpaa of Korikouvot.

Division A

Very expected game when 10th ranked Pyrinto II (3-8) was crushed on the road by third ranked Espoo United (7-3) 97-61 on Sunday. Espoo United made 17-of-21 free shots (81.0 percent) during the game. They also forced 23 Pyrinto II turnovers and outrebounded them 37-24 including 27 on the defensive glass. Espoo United looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. American guard Omar Calhoun (198-93, college: Connecticut) had a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!) and 10 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import point guard Jeb Ivey (190-80, college: Portland St.) chipped in 16 points and 5 assists during the contest. Espoo United's coach Ville Neva felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the losing side American forward Terrell Vinson (201-90, college: Massachusetts, agency: HMS) responded with 18 points and 5 rebounds and forward Tuomas Sukanen (198-91) scored 14 points and 6 rebounds. Newly promoted Espoo United maintains third position in Division with 7-3 record having four points less than leader PuHu Juniorit. Loser Pyrinto II keeps the tenth place with eight games lost. Espoo United will face league's leader ToPo in Helsinki in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Pyrinto II will play at home against Jyvaskyla BA (#7) and hope to win that game. Top scorers:Pyrinto II: T.Vinson 18+5reb+1ast, T.Sukanen 14+6reb, L.Kilpinen 13+3ast, K.Rasinaho 9+3reb+1ast, J.Pentti 3+4reb+3ast, M.Nurmi 2+3rebEspoo United: O.Calhoun 34+10reb+3ast, J.Ivey 16+2reb+5ast, L.Gummerus 12+7reb+2ast, L.Toivonen 8+5reb+4ast, J.Gummerus 5+2reb, J.Jarvinen 5+6reb+6ast

Rather predictable result when sixth ranked Porvoon Tarmo (6-7) defeated at home 9th ranked Jarvenpaa (3-7) 89-83 on Sunday. Jarvenpaa trailed by 12 points after 3 quarters before a 27-21 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 83-89 at the end of the game. Porvoon Tarmo forced 19 Jarvenpaa turnovers. American forward B.J. Cardarelli (203, college: S.New Hampshire, agency: Pro Partner Sports Management) scored 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import guard Cameron Clark (190-93, college: Southwestern, KS) chipped in 24 points and 8 rebounds during the contest. At the losing side Gambian power forward Pierre Jallow (203-79, college: William Jewell) responded with a double-double by scoring 22 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists and point guard Leo Tarjanne (189-95) scored 25 points and 5 rebounds. Porvoon Tarmo maintains sixth position in Division with 6-7 record. Loser Jarvenpaa keeps the ninth place with seven games lost. Porvoon Tarmo will face league's second-placed Lahti on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Jarvenpaa will play against the league's leader ToPo (#1) and hope to win that game. Top scorers:Jarvenpaa: L.Tarjanne 25+5reb+1ast, P.Jallow 22+13reb+4ast, H.Coleman 13+7reb+2ast, J.Pehkonen 9+3reb+5ast, A.Towa 7+6reb+1ast, J.Jousisto 7+6reb+2astPorvoon Tarmo: C.Clark 24+8reb+3ast, B.Cardarelli 23+8reb+5ast, L.Giese 17+13reb, K.Straih 8+1reb+4ast, D.Lindqvist 7+2reb+1ast, A.Haikonen 6+3reb+1ast

Very important is a road loss of second ranked Lahti (8-4) against fourth ranked Oulun NMKY (7-5) on Sunday night. Visiting Lahti was defeated by Oulun NMKY in Oulun 85-74. The hosts trailed by 8 points after first quarter, but they stormed back and won the game by 11 points. Americans were the main players on the court. Forward Demondre Harvey (201-93, college: La-Monroe) fired a double-double by scoring 26 points and 19 rebounds for the winners. Swingman Jaron Jones (198-89, college: E.Kentucky) chipped in 27 points and 4 assists. Guard Rashad Smith (201-93, college: Tulsa) produced 24 points and 5 rebounds and power forward Jerald Fields (201-82, college: E.Tenn.St.) added 23 points (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) respectively for lost side. Oulun NMKY maintains fourth position in Division with 7-5 record. Loser Lahti keeps the second place with four games lost. Oulun NMKY will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Lahti will play against Porvoon Tarmo and hope to secure a win. Top scorers:Lahti: R.Smith 24+5reb+2ast, J.Fields 23+3reb+1ast, S.Ikavalko 16+4reb+4ast, R.Ojanen 7+6reb+4ast, A.Ahola 3+4reb+2ast, R.Byman 1+2astOulun NMKY: J.Jones 27+2reb+4ast, D.Harvey 26+19reb+2ast, Z.Stahl 17+11reb+2ast, I.Kallio 7+1reb+2ast, T.Yrjanheikki 3+1reb+3ast, K.Clement 3+4reb+6ast

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked ToPo as it allowed them to take a leadership position in Division. ToPo defeated 5th ranked Forssan Koripojat in Helsinki 86-76. The game was mostly controlled by ToPo. Forssan Koripojat managed to win third quarter 21-19. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. ToPo forced 20 Forssan Koripojat turnovers. Forward Cedric Latimer (198-87, college: St.Francis, PA) had a double-double by scoring 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and swingman Juuso Kauppinen (188-94) chipped in 16 points and 5 assists during the contest. At the losing side American forward Bruce Reed (202-90, college: Pikeville) responded with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 10 rebounds and his fellow American import swingman Roderick Flemings (203-87, college: Hawaii) scored 7 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. As mentioned above they are alone now at the top position. Forssan Koripojat at the other side keeps the fifth place with six games lost. Forssan Koripojat will play next round against Jyvaskyla BA trying to get back on the winning streak. ToPo will try to continue on its current victory against third ranked Espoo United on the road. Top scorers:FoKoPo: B.Reed 24+10reb+1ast, S.Bowden 15+6reb+1ast, H.Kotavuo 13+2ast, T.Sulonen 12+4ast, R.Flemings 7+11reb+4ast, J.Kotavuo 3+2reb+1astToPo: C.Latimer 22+14reb+2ast, J.Kauppinen 16+4reb+5ast, I.Pehkonen 13+1reb+4ast, M.Kuusisto 11+6reb+2ast, J.Hietanen 7+4reb, O.Taylor 6+1reb+1ast

We cannot really consider it an upset in the game between close teams when 7th ranked HBA-Marsky (4-8) was defeated on the road by eighth ranked Jyvaskyla BA (4-5) 83-79 on Thursday. The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But HBA-Marsky won third quarter 24-22. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. The game was decided in the last minutes when Jyvaskyla BA won last quarter 16-14. Point guard Robert Juvonen (185-91) had a double-double by scoring 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Valtteri Leppanen chipped in 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists during the contest. Five Jyvaskyla BA players scored in double figures. At the losing side point guard Edon Maxhuni (183-98) responded with 33 points (!!!) and 6 rebounds and center Hannes Polla (210-98) scored 12 points and 6 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Jyvaskyla BA moved-up to seventh place in Division. Loser HBA-Marsky dropped to the eighth position with eight games lost. Jyvaskyla BA will face Pyrinto II (#10) in Tampere in the next round. HBA-Marsky will play at home against Pyrinto II and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:HBA-Marsky: E.Maxhuni 33+6reb+3ast, H.Polla 12+6reb+1ast, M.Suvanto 10+5reb, T.Jaakkola 6+5reb, T.Pihlajamaki 5, E.Valtonen 5+4reb+2astJyvaskyla BA: V.Leppanen 17+6reb+5ast, S.Oja 16+4reb+3ast, R.Juvonen 16+10reb+3ast, J.Luoma 11+3reb+1ast, T.Puittinen 11+2reb, V.Lehtonen 4+3reb

gschID: 487653

Division B

Everything went according to plan in Kouvola where sixth ranked Korikouvot (7-3) outscored 10th ranked JyWe (3-8) 97-71 on Monday. The game was mostly controlled by Korikouvot. JyWe was better in third quarter 21-20. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Power forward Juuso Maenpaa (198-93) scored 25 points and 6 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and guard Henri Kantonen (197-97) chipped in 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. At the losing side guard Aleksi Kantonen (188-95) responded with 20 points and 6 assists and forward Sami Mantymaa (193-88) produced a double-double by scoring 15 points and 11 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Korikouvot moved-up to fourth place in Division. Newly promoted JyWe dropped to the eleventh position with eight games lost. Korikouvot will face Raholan Pyrkiva (#5) in Tampere in the next round. JyWe will play at home against PeU-Basket (#12) and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:JyWe: A.Kantonen 20+3reb+6ast, S.Mantymaa 15+11reb, S.Chudinovskich 12+2reb, N.Pantsu 9+3reb, L.Salovaara 7+6reb, J.Lehto 3+6rebKorikouvot: J.Maenpaa 25+6reb, H.Kantonen 18+6reb+4ast, S.Lehtonen 15+2reb+4ast, N.Ahola 9+3reb, T.Knihtinen 8+16reb+3ast, E.Mombilo 6+1reb

There was no surprise in Pernio where 11th ranked PeU-Basket (3-8) was edged by eighth ranked Karkkila (5-6) 91-89 on Sunday. The guests trailed by 15 points after three quarters before their 27-10 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Karkkila looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by PeU-Basket's players. Point guard Janne Kinnunen (185-87) scored 24 points and 8 assists (perfect from the field making all nine shots !!!) to lead the charge for the winners and American forward Michael King (201-74, college: Ill.-Chicago) chipped in 13 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. At the losing side American forward Tiel Daniels (200-92, college: Colorado St., agency: Pro Partner Sports Management) responded with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 12 rebounds and guard Jesse Rakkolainen (187-97) scored 23 points. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. PeU-Basket's coach let to play ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Karkkila moved-up to seventh place in Division. Loser PeU-Basket dropped to the twelfth position with eight games lost. Karkkila will face higher ranked Espoo Basket (#6) at home in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. PeU-Basket will play against JyWe (#11) in Jyvaskyla and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:PeU-Basket: T.Daniels 25+12reb+1ast, J.Rakkolainen 23+3reb+1ast, T.Kuukkanen 12+4reb+2ast, J.Rasanen 10+5reb+1ast, S.Himberg 10+3reb+3ast, M.Patrakka 7+5reb+3astKarkkila: J.Kinnunen 24+3reb+8ast, A.Nieminen 20+5reb+4ast, M.King 13+12reb+4ast, T.Heino 12+4reb+1ast, H.Koskinen 10+3reb+1ast, K.Tolvanen 10+4reb+3ast

No shocking result in a game when sixth ranked Espoo Basket (7-4) won against at home 9th ranked HNMKY U23 (4-8) 72-66 on Sunday. HNMKY U23 trailed by 16 points after 3 quarters before a 22-12 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 66-72 at the end of the game. American guard Joshua Gouch (196-91, college: CS San Bernar.) scored 25 points and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and forward Robert Ahman (196-95) chipped in 10 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. At the losing side Petteri Ruutiainen responded with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 11 rebounds and center Otso Laakkonen (198-93) scored 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Espoo Basket maintains sixth position in Division with 7-4 record. Loser HNMKY U23 keeps the ninth place with eight games lost. Espoo Basket will face Karkkila (#7) on the road in the next round. Top scorers:HNMKY U23: P.Ruutiainen 22+11reb, O.Laakkonen 12+6reb+4ast, V.Tahvanainen 9+1reb+1ast, T.Takala 6+2reb+3ast, J.Eboreime 6+5reb+2ast, M.Meldo 4+4rebEspoo Basket: J.Gouch 25+7reb+3ast, J.Graham 12+4reb, R.Ahman 10+6reb+1ast, I.Kerminen 9+1reb, B.Ceesay 6+5reb+1ast, A.Vialen 6+4reb

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 13th ranked Namika Lr's (1-10) home loss to twelfth ranked Munkkiniemen (3-7) 44-73 on Sunday. The game without a history. Munkkiniemen led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 38 of its points in the paint compared to Namika Lr's 14. Munkkiniemen forced 23 Namika Lr turnovers. Guard Miika Heinonen (193-99) scored 23 points to lead the charge for the winners and forward Okko Ailio (197-0) chipped in 15 points and 5 rebounds during the contest. At the losing side guard Karo Puittinen (191-99) responded with 7 points and 7 rebounds and guard Teemu Turunen (187-94) scored 13 points. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Munkkiniemen moved-up to tenth place in Division. Loser Namika Lr keeps the thirteenth position with ten games lost. Munkkiniemen will face league's second-placed TuNMKY in Turun in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Namika Lr will play on the road against HyPo (#8) in Hyvinkaa and hope to win that game. Top scorers:Namika Lr: T.Turunen 13+1reb+1ast, G.Sokolov 10+5reb, O.Kaijansinkko 8+2reb, K.Puittinen 7+7reb+3ast, L.Aavamaki 4+3reb, A.Nieminen 2+3rebMunkkiniemen: M.Heinonen 23+4reb+3ast, O.Ailio 15+5reb+1ast, P.Marttinen 12+2reb+3ast, M.Rautasalo 7+1reb+4ast, R.Avist 7+5reb+2ast, T.Oksa 4+2reb+2ast

The game between Top Four teams took place in Turun. Third ranked host TuNMKY (8-2) defeated their biggest opponent Ura Basket (8-3) 91-86. It was a key game for the second position in Division. Ura Basket was tied at the half but could not keep up in last two quarters eventually losing the game. TuNMKY made 27-of-35 charity shots (77.1 percent) during the game, while Ura Basket only scored ten points from the stripe. 28 personal fouls committed by Ura Basket helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Worth to mention a great performance of center Mikael Sandberg (210-91) who helped to win the game recording 31 points and 8 rebounds (made all of his eight free throws). Guard Eero Innamaa (186-98) contributed with 24 points and 6 assists for the winners. American forward Sean Harris (201, college: Utah St.) replied with 21 points and 7 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) and guard Ville Hanninen (193-95) added 19 points in the effort for Ura Basket. Four Ura Basket players scored in double figures. Ura Basket's coach tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. TuNMKY moved-up to second place in Division. Ura Basket at the other side dropped to the third position with three games lost. TuNMKY's next round opponent will be Munkkiniemen (#10) in Helsinki and are hoping to win another game. Ura Basket will play at home against the league's leader PuHu Juniorit (#1) and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:Ura Basket: S.Harris 21+7reb+3ast, V.Hanninen 19+2reb+1ast, S.Latvala 13+2reb+4ast, J.Kukkonen 10+1reb+3ast, E.Aaltonen 8+3reb+1ast, T.Ritanotko 5+2rebTuNMKY: M.Sandberg 31+8reb+3ast, E.Innamaa 24+4reb+6ast, V.Salli 18+9reb+3ast, T.Lommi 6+6reb+2ast, A.Talvitie 5+3reb+1ast, P.Luomala 5+2reb

PuHu Juniorit (10-1) recorded its first loss in Tampere. Visitors were edged by fifth ranked Raholan Pyrkiva (7-4) 93-90. PuHu Juniorit was tied at the half but could not keep up in last two quarters eventually losing the game. Guard Tommi Rasi (184-98) notched 33 points (!!!) and 8 rebounds to lead the effort and Bulgarian guard Angel Mavrodiev (183-91) supported him with 20 points and 4 assists. Four Raholan Pyrkiva players scored in double figures. Even 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals by American power forward Brian Moultrie (198-87, college: Armstr.Atlantic) did not help to save the game for PuHu Juniorit. Guard Eero Sahlberg (188-90) added 20 points for lost side. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Raholan Pyrkiva maintains fifth position in Division with 7-4 record. PuHu Juniorit at the other side still keeps top place with one game lost. Raholan Pyrkiva will play against higher ranked Korikouvot (#4) in Kouvola in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. PuHu Juniorit will play on the road against Ura Basket in Kaarina and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:PuHu Juniorit: E.Sahlberg 20+1reb+2ast, B.Moultrie 16+7reb+4ast, P.Hinkkanen 10+1ast, T.Niemi 10, O.Lindqvist 10+2reb, J.Aho 9+7reb+2astRaholan Pyrkiva: T.Rasi 33+8reb+3ast, A.Mavrodiev 20+3reb+4ast, L.Tiainen 16+5reb+1ast, A.Keski-Koukkari 14+6reb+1ast, J.Hamalainen 5+4reb+3ast, M.Bittaye 5+5reb

Rather predictable result in Pernio where ninth ranked HNMKY U23 (4-8) defeated 11th ranked PeU-Basket (3-8) 79-72 on Friday. The guests trailed by 8 points after first quarter, but they rallied back winning next two quarters and won the game by 7 points. Guard Jyri Eboreime (185-98) had a double-double by scoring 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and guard Ville Tahvanainen (190-0) chipped in 16 points and 5 rebounds during the contest. At the losing side American forward Tiel Daniels (200-92, college: Colorado St., agency: Pro Partner Sports Management) responded with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 11 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field) and guard Sami Himberg (184-89) scored 9 points and 7 rebounds. HNMKY U23 maintains ninth position in Division with 4-8 record. Loser PeU-Basket dropped to the twelfth place with eight games lost. HNMKY U23 will have a break next round. PeU-Basket will play on the road against JyWe (#11) in Jyvaskyla and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:PeU-Basket: T.Daniels 19+11reb+2ast, T.Kuukkanen 14+4reb, J.Virtanen 11+4reb+3ast, S.Himberg 9+7reb+2ast, H.Niemisto 7+2reb+6ast, M.Patrakka 5+4reb+1astHNMKY U23: J.Eboreime 23+12reb+4ast, V.Tahvanainen 16+5reb+2ast, E.Clement 13+5reb+3ast, T.Takala 8+4reb+4ast, P.Ruutiainen 7+8reb, A.Pietilainen 6+3reb+1ast

1st Division top team - PuHu Juniorit (10-1) managed to deliver another win on Friday. This time they beat tenth ranked JyWe (3-8) in Jyvaskyla 87-74. The guests trailed by 5 points at the halftime before their 50-32 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. American power forward Brian Moultrie (198-87, college: Armstr.Atlantic) had a double-double by scoring 28 points and 19 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and guard Eero Sahlberg (188-90) chipped in 10 points and 5 rebounds during the contest. PuHu Juniorit's coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the losing side guard Aleksi Kantonen (188-95) responded with 25 points and 8 rebounds and forward Sami Mantymaa (193-88) produced a double-double by scoring 23 points and 11 rebounds. PuHu Juniorit maintains first position in Division with 10-1 record. Newly promoted JyWe dropped to the eleventh place with eight games lost. PuHu Juniorit will face Ura Basket (#3) in Kaarina in the next round, which may be the game of the day. JyWe will play at home against PeU-Basket (#12) and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:JyWe: A.Kantonen 25+8reb+3ast, S.Mantymaa 23+11reb+1ast, L.Salovaara 11+1ast, A.Ekimov 8+11reb+5ast, N.Pantsu 6+5reb+1ast, V.Pyykkonen 1+3reb+2astPuHu Juniorit: B.Moultrie 28+19reb+2ast, P.Hinkkanen 11+2reb+2ast, E.Sahlberg 10+5reb+3ast, S.Salminen 9+5reb+3ast, A.Heiskanen 9+4reb+1ast, T.Niemi 8+1reb+2ast

There was a minor upset when 6th ranked Korikouvot (7-3) was defeated on the road by eighth ranked Karkkila (5-6) 102-97 on Friday. The hosts trailed by 1 point after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 11-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 102-97. Strangely Korikouvot outrebounded Karkkila 46-33 including a 17-5 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Korikouvot's players. Point guard Janne Kinnunen (185-87) had a double-double by scoring 36 points (!!!) and 11 assists to lead the charge for the winners and swingman Hannes Koskinen (198-98) chipped in 19 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. Four Karkkila players scored in double figures. At the losing side power forward Juuso Maenpaa (198-93) responded with a double-double by scoring 32 points and 11 rebounds (on 13-of-17 shooting from the field) and guard Teemu Knihtinen (192-98) produced a double-double by scoring 18 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Karkkila moved-up to seventh place in Division. Loser Korikouvot dropped to the fourth position with three games lost. Karkkila will face higher ranked Espoo Basket (#6) at home in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Korikouvot will play against Raholan Pyrkiva and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:Korikouvot: J.Maenpaa 32+11reb, V.Leino 24+7reb+4ast, T.Knihtinen 18+17reb+4ast, S.Lehtonen 8+2reb+1ast, T.Lapila 6+4reb, E.Mombilo 4+2reb+1astKarkkila: J.Kinnunen 36+3reb+11ast, H.Koskinen 19+9reb+1ast, A.Nieminen 15+4reb+2ast, S.Makela 11+3reb+4ast, T.Heino 6+1reb+1ast, K.Tolvanen 6+3reb+6ast

Everything went according to plan in Tampere where third ranked TuNMKY (8-2) beat 5th ranked Raholan Pyrkiva (7-4) 85-69 on Friday. The guests trailed by 1 point after three quarters before their 31-14 charge, which allowed them to win the game. TuNMKY outrebounded Raholan Pyrkiva 43-32 including 16 on the offensive glass. Center Mikael Sandberg (210-91) had a double-double by scoring 23 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the charge for the winners and guard Eero Innamaa (186-98) chipped in 19 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. TuNMKY's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. At the losing side Bulgarian guard Angel Mavrodiev (183-91) responded with 18 points and 8 rebounds and swingman Antti Keski-Koukkari (192-90) scored 17 points and 6 rebounds. Four Raholan Pyrkiva players scored in double figures. TuNMKY moved-up to second place in Division. Loser Raholan Pyrkiva keeps the fifth position with four games lost. TuNMKY will face Munkkiniemen (#10) in Helsinki in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Raholan Pyrkiva will play on the road against Korikouvot (#4) in Kouvola and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:Raholan Pyrkiva: A.Mavrodiev 18+8reb+2ast, A.Keski-Koukkari 17+6reb+1ast, A.Shchepkin 10+4reb+2ast, L.Tiainen 10+4reb+3ast, A.Kaivonen 7+2reb+1ast, J.Hamalainen 5+4reb+3astTuNMKY: M.Sandberg 23+15reb+7ast, E.Innamaa 19+6reb+2ast, T.Lommi 13+1reb+1ast, V.Salli 9+1reb+1ast, A.Talvitie 9+7reb+3ast, H.Dassouki 4+1reb+1ast

American Forward J'Nathan Bullock (196-F-87) had a very impressive game in the last round for Pyrinto, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 15. The 29-year old player was the main contributor (23 points, six rebounds) to his team's victory, helping them to edge out BC Nokia (#5, 6-8) 83-81. Pyrinto is placed at 9th position in Finnish Korisliiga. Pyrinto is currently ranked second from the bottom. They need more victories to improve their 5-10 record. In the team'... [read more]

American Forward J'Nathan Bullock (196-F-87) had a very impressive game in the last round for Pyrinto, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 15.The 29-year old player was the main contributor (23 points, six rebounds) to his team's victory, helping them to edge out BC Nokia (#5, 6-8) 83-81. Pyrinto is placed at 9th position in Finnish Korisliiga. Pyrinto is currently ranked second from the bottom. They need more victories to improve their 5-10 record. In the team's last game Bullock had a remarkable 53.8% from 2-point range. He turned to be Pyrinto's top player in his first season with the team. J'Nathan Bullock averages this season 16.3ppg and 7.5rpg.

The second best player in last round's games was 34-year old Jamaican Sherman Gay (201-F/C-82) of KTP-Basket. Gay had a very good evening with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Of course he led KTP Basket to another comfortable win 81-67 over slightly lower-ranked Korihait (#10, 4-9) being unquestionably team leader. This victory allowed KTP Basket to move up to 8th position in the standings. His team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 5-9 record. Gay is a newcomer at KTP Basket, but is already one of team's top players. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 21.6ppg (#2). He also registered 6.6 boards per game.

Third on the list of top players last round was American guard Steven Pledger (193-G-90) of Kouvot (#7). Pledger scored 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Despite Pledger's great performance Kouvot lost 82-89 to the higher-ranked Helsinki Seagulls (#1, 12-1). But his team cannot count on just a single shooter as he also needs help of the other teammates. The chances of Kouvot not to end season at such low position in the league, however are less than slim as they have already lost 8 games, recording just five victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Pledger could try to bring Kouvot's a little bit higher in the standings. Pledger has individually a great season in Finland. After 12 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 21.9ppg (best scorer).

The Player of the week is chosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3* (REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4* (2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3* (2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3* (3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

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